Page 71 of Sins of Seduction
Greyson held up his hands. “Just need to cover all my bases.” He glanced toward Jax. “The sooner we get that protein powder, the sooner you can get back here to stay with her, and maybe we can add more pieces to this. I’m going to head back to the station to give my cap the info here, and hopefully the next time you see me, I’ll have good news.”
And hopefully an end to this nightmare with no more lives being lost.
Danny could smell Raven—her scent was stronger upstairs in her bedroom, but it was mixed with the faint smell of cedar and pine that belonged to Jax, which only pissed Danny off. “We’re almost to the end,” Danny whispered, running a hand across the made bed in which Raven had spent countless nights sleeping naked.
Danny rummaged through Raven’s drawer, finding her little treasure chest of toys that Raven had used to bring herself pleasure. Danny always wondered what fantasies ran in Raven’s mind when she brought herself to climax.
Was it past lovers?
Was it the faces of nameless strangers?
Or men she believed she couldn’t have, like Cruz?
Danny moved into Raven’s underwear drawer. There were so little garments here. Raven rarely wore underwear. But Danny grabbed one of the lacy pairs. The material was soft. It felt good against Danny’s skin, and when Danny brought the panties to their nose, they could practically taste Raven.
“Sometimes I wish things could have been different.” Danny walked back toward Raven’s bed, taking her underwear and one of her toys along as well. Danny kept the underwear close while images of Raven filled their mind. Danny’s arousal was too much—it felt too heavy inside their body, and the need to climax surrounded by the woman who had changed the course of Danny’s life felt too great to ignore.
The sound of Raven’s front door opening had Danny sitting up. A male voice traveled up to meet Danny, and she already knew who was here and why. Danny gently hopped off the bed, pulling a syringe out of the duffle bag that was left at the front of the bedroom door and quietly made their way down the stairs.
Let the games begin.
Jax looked down at his phone while he sat in the back of the cab on his way to Raven’s house. It felt wrong to leave her alone in the hospital. He knew there was a uniform guarding her door, but something in his body was screaming at him to go back and stay with her.
Everything felt off to him after Greyson showed up with his theories. Raven was convinced that Lea’s mother wasn’t behind what was happening, and Jax had been inclined to agree. They had more information, and yet something was still missing. Greyson wanted to track down Lea’s mother, but Jax felt like this threat was closer—almost right under their noses.
“What are we missing?” Jax whispered as his thumb hoovered over Cruz’s name.
Jax called him twice since he left the hospital, and Cruz hadn’t answered. Greyson had been clear that Cruz wasn’t guilty and was in meetings with the captain when he left the station. Still, Jax needed to hear from Cruz himself.
The cab pulled up to Raven’s home. Jax could see the cops watching her home, and he tried to let go of this fear that had him in a choke hold. They had covered their bases. Raven was being watched, and everything was going to be okay. If he told himself that enough times, he’d believe it.
He paid the cab driver and got out just as his phone rang. It was Cruz, and he quickly answered. “You’re being a shit if you’re avoiding me.” Jax quipped as he made his way up Raven’s steps. He made quick work of putting the key in the lock and walked in.
“You’re starting to sound like a nagging wife. What’s up?” Cruz’s sarcasm dripped through the phone.At least things aren’t awkward.
“I was hoping we could talk. You kind of ran out of the party last night.” Jax hated to bring this up now, and on the phone, but he was worried about Cruz and where his head was at.
“Is this really something that needs to be discussed? You’ve seen my dick before and I’ve seen yours.” Jax could hear the sounds of the station in the background, and he had to pull his phone away from his ear for a moment to make sure he was on the phone with Cruz. He’d never been this cavalier about anything. He barely changed in the station locker rooms if other people were in there.
“You and I both know what happened last night was more than that.” Jax walked into the kitchen looking for the protein powder. She had two canisters—he had seen them that morning—but now they weren’t where he thought they were. He looked on top of the fridge and in a couple of cabinets and came up empty.
“Do you regret it? Does Raven?” Cruz’s voice was barely audible. The sounds of the station had fallen away, and Jax abandoned his search for the protein powder momentarily.
He leaned up against the counter, his eyes roaming the kitchen, refusing to settle on anything in particular. He hadn’t regretted what happened, a part of him hated that he waited so long to make it happen, and he knew Raven hadn’t regretted it either. There was still so much they had to discuss, but things kept getting in the way.
“Do you regret it, Cruz?” Jax held his breath, waiting to see what his friend would say. He wished they were face to face talking like they once did before women and jobs got in the way.
Cruz let out a long breath, like he was setting down a heavy weight. “God help me, but I don’t. I know that probably changes everything, but I don’t think I have the strength to deny how incredibly freeing last night was.”
Jax closed his eyes for a moment, taking in Cruz’s truth. He didn’t realize how much he was hoping that Cruz didn’t regret what happened until he heard the words. Jax had been prepared for the fight, had put his armor on, ready for the harsh words and blame shifting that he thought would come from Cruz. But Jax heard the easy acceptance of the veil being ripped from the both of them at what their worlds could be like.
Jax opened his eyes and picked up his search for the protein powder. “I’m glad to hear that. I was worried that this conversation would have gone….” Jax’s gaze landed on a pair of black boots that had been left by the stairs. They weren’t his, and he knew they didn’t belong to Raven.
“Listen,” Cruz started talking as Jax crept closer to the boots. “Maybe we should have this conversation in person. I have to get back to this case.”
“Yeah, that sounds like a good idea. I’ll talk to you soon. I have to head into the station anyway. I’ll bring food so we can talk some more.” Jax picked up the boots. There was an eerie silence in Raven’s home. Someone was here, but how did they get past the cops?
“Hey, Cruz,” Jax called his friend’s name, hoping he hadn’t hung up yet. Before Jax could get another word out, he felt someone behind him, and he turned just as he felt a warm pinch in his neck.
